A French anesthesiologist was sentenced to life in jail on Thursday for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, 12 of whom died.

Mr. Péchier, who worked as an anesthesiologist at two clinics in Besançon, a city in eastern France, committed the crimes between 2008 and 2017, the court said in a statement after a 15-week trial. Mr. Péchier has denied the charges since investigations began eight years ago. His lawyer said on Thursday that his client would lodge an appeal.

His youngest victim was a 4-year-old boy, Tedy, who fell into a two-day coma after the anesthesiologist inserted a toxic substance into the child’s intravenous drip during a routine surgical procedure, according to his family’s lawyer, Archibald Celeyron.

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